Moveable back panel for a vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

A vehicle seat having a seat back including an actuatable back panel. The back panel of the seat back may be moved between a normal, or flush position, and an actuated, or spaced position, relative to the seat back assembly. The back panel may be provided with connectors that may be used to connect the back panel to the seat assembly. The back panel is actuated in the event of a rear end collision to provide added clearance for penetration of an occupant&#39;s torso into the seat back without interference by seat accessories, such as an adjustable lumbar system, a bolster assembly, massage assembly, or a heating/cooling system. The seat accessories may be secured to the back panel as a sub-assembly to facilitate manufacture. A resilient member biases a linkage or torsion bar to automatically reset the back panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/465,919filed Aug. 21, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,699, issued Jun. 23, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat that has a back panelthat is movable relative to the seat between a position in which theback panel is flush mounted to the seat and a position in which the backpanel is spaced relative to the seat.

2. Background Art

Vehicle seats are relatively complex structures including a combinationof sub-systems that may be used to position the seat, provide heatingand cooling, provide an adjustable lumbar support, in addition toproviding a comfortable seating area for occupants. First and foremost,vehicle seats must provide a safe and comfortable seating area. The sizeof a vehicle seat must be limited to maximize vehicle interior space.For enhanced safety, vehicle seats may be provided with passive oractive head restraints that are partially received within the interiorof a vehicle seat. Other sub-systems, such as an adjustable lumbarsupport, heating system, cooling system, or position adjustment systemsmay also be required to be accommodated, in the whole or in part, withinthe body of a vehicle seat. Accommodating all of these elements in avehicle seat presents substantial packaging problems in the design ofthe vehicle seat.

Assembly of seat accessories into a seat back becomes more complicatedwhen more of such systems are included. Seat accessories may be attachedto the seat frame by specialized brackets that increase the cost of theseat assembly and also complicate the assembly process. Assembly isfurther complicated by requirements that massage systems, adjustablelumbar supports and temperature modification systems are normallydesigned to prevent non-functional movement of such systems.Non-functional movement of such systems may cause unwanted noise andvibration and may adversely impact performance of the systems.

Seat back panels are normally sculpted to maximize the leg roomavailable for rear seat passengers. Recesses in the back panel furtherlimit the space available for seat accessories. Back panels are normallytightly secured to a seat with conventional fasteners, such as screws orclip-type connectors. Depending upon design features and constraints,the back panel of a vehicle seat may either be a relatively rigid moldedmember or may be formed by a fabric, leather or other flexible materialthat may be stretched across a frame or otherwise secured to the seatback.

There is a need for a vehicle seat having a seat back that meets allcrash test requirements and provides ample clearance for seatstructures, and also facilitates assembly of seating accessories withinthe seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seat havinga seat back is provided. The seat back includes a seat back frame and aseat back cushion secured to the seat back frame that faces in a forwarddirection. The seat back cushion is supported by the seat back frame. Aback panel that faces in a rearward direction is secured by at least oneconnector to the seat back frame. The connector secures the back panelflush to the seat back in a normal position and has a retaining featurefor securing the back panel in a spaced relationship relative to theseat back in an actuated position. The back panel may be moved from thenormal position to the actuated position by a force applied to the seatin a collision.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seat isprovided that has a seat back for supporting the back of a seatoccupant. A cushion is secured to the seat back support assembly and asuspension assembly is provided for supporting the cushion relative tothe seat back support assembly. A back panel is provided as part of theseat back support assembly that is movable between a flush position inwhich the back panel is secured flush to the other parts of the seatback support assembly and a spaced position in which the back panel isretained in a spaced relationship relative to the other parts of theseat back support assembly. A plurality of connectors extend from aB-side of the back panel and engage the seat back support assembly.Compression of the seat back by the penetration of the torso of a seatoccupant into the seat back may cause the back panel to move from theflush position to the spaced position as guided by the connectors. Thevehicle seat back may be provided with a plurality of connectorsextending from the B-side of the back panel that engage the seat backframe wherein compression of the seat back is applied to the back tomove the back panel from the flush position to the spaced position.

According to other aspects of the present invention, the seat back mayfurther comprise a lumbar support assembly, and a thermal conditioningsystem, such as a heating or cooling system, that is secured to the backpanel. Other types of systems that may be assembled to a seat back mayinclude a massage system, side bolster adjustment systems, upper foamadjustment mechanisms, power head restraint adjustment mechanisms,wiring, and other electronic modules.

According to other aspects of the invention, a plurality of connectorsmay be provided that secure the back panel to the seat frame and provideat least one guide for controlling movement of the back panel. Theconnectors may have a full insertion stop that is engaged when the backpanel is in the normal position and an extended stop that is engagedwhen the back panel is in the actuated position.

According to other aspects of the invention, the back panel may beeither a solid shell or may include a flexible sheet that forms part ofa trim assembly. The back panel may be sculpted with an A surface thatis recessed into the back rest.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be betterunderstood in view of the attached drawings and following detaileddescription of the illustrated embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a vehicle seat having amovable back panel made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing the vehicle seat havingconnectors and guide elements in the non-actuated position of the backpanel;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2showing the back panel in its non-actuated position;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3, but showingthe back panel in its actuated position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connector for the back panel made inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the linkage and spring of analternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of the embodiment shown inFIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of a seat back having a torsion baraccording to another alternative embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of the embodiment shown inFIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle seat 10 having a seat back 12 to which aseat accessory 14 is attached is attached to a back panel 16. Examplesof seat accessories 14 that may be incorporated into a seat back includelumbar supports, heating and/or cooling systems, bolsters, massagesystems, and the like. The back panel 16 is shown in a flush position insolid lines and in an actuated position in phantom lines. The arrows inFIG. 1 indicate the extent of displacement 18 of the back panel 16 thatoccurs when a seat occupant's torso (not shown) penetrates into the seatback 12 in the event of a collision. Three different embodiments of theinvention are shown that illustrate three different ways of controllingthe movement of the back panel 16 in FIGS. 2-9.

Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment is shown in which an upper connector20, such as a clip, is received in an upper receptacle 22. A lowerconnector 26 is secured to the seat back 12 and is received in a lowerreceptacle 28. While the illustrated embodiment shows the upper andlower connectors 20 and 26 being attached to the back panel 16, itshould be understood that the upper and lower connectors 20, 26 could besecured to the back panel 16 without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention. Upper and lower guide members 32, 34, or guide pins,are received in guide receptacles 36 that are secured to the seat back12. As with the connectors, the guide members 32, 34 and guidereceptacles 36 could be reversed with the guide members 32, 34 beingsecured to the seat back 12 and the guide receptacles 36 being providedon the back panel 16.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, operation of the connectors 20, 26 and guidemembers 32, 34 will be described in greater detail. In FIG. 3, the backpanel 16 is shown in its flush position with the upper and lower clips,20, 26 being received in the upper and lower receptacles so that theyare retained by detents 38. A stop 40 is provided on one end of theconnectors 20, 26 that limits the movement of the back panel 16 awayfrom the seat back 12. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper and lowerconnectors 20, 26 are secured to the back panel 16 by an anchoring end42 of the connectors 20, 26. The back panel 16 and the upper and lowerconnectors 20, 26 are shown in their actuated position. In the event ofa collision, an occupant's torso applies a compressive force to the seatback 12 that is transferred through the seat to the back panel 16. Whensufficient force is applied to the back panel 16, the back panel shiftsfrom the position shown in FIG. 3 over an actuation ramp surface 44until the back panel reaches the position shown in FIG. 4. The backpanel may be reset by pushing the back panel 16 from the rear to move itfrom the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 4 to the position shownin phantom lines in FIG. 4. When the back panel 16 is reset, theconnectors 20, 26 move into the upper and lower receptacles 22 and 28passing over the return ramp surfaces 46. The upper and lower guidemembers 32, 34 move relative to the guide receptacles 36 to keep theback panel 16 in alignment with the seat back 12.

Referring to FIG. 5, one example of a connector that may comprise eitherthe upper connector 20 or the lower connector 26 is illustrated ingreater detail. The connector 20 or 26 are each provided with detent 38that is formed by the actuation ramp surface 44 and return ramp surface46. The stop 40 is provided on the opposite end of the connector fromthe anchoring end 42.

The connectors 20, 26 or guide members 32, 34 may be provided with acontrasting color area or other indicia that are only visible when theback panel 16 is in its actuated position. The purpose of the indicia isto indicate to a user after a collision that the back panel has beenshifted to its actuated position. The indicia may include instructionsas to how to reset the back panel 16.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an alternative embodiment is shown in whichthe back panel 50 may automatically reset itself after actuation to theflush position. The back panel 50 is connected by a link 52 to a spring54. The spring 54 exerts a biasing force biasing the link 52 downwardlythat causes the back panel to be urged toward the flush position. Thelink 52 is pivotally connected to a seat pivot 56 that is secured to theseat back 12. The spring 54 is connected to a back panel pivot 58 thatis secured to the back panel 50. In the event of a collision, the backpanel may react to penetration of an occupant's torso into the seat backby moving from the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 7 to theposition shown in phantom lines in FIG. 7. Movement of the back panel inthis manner acts against the biasing force of the spring 54 and causesthe link 52 to pivot. After the collision event, the spring 54automatically causes the back panel 50 to move from the position shownin phantom lines in FIG. 7 to the position shown in solid lines.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, another embodiment is shown in which a backpanel 70 is automatically reset by a torsion bar 72 that extends acrossthe seat. In the illustrated embodiment, the torsion bar 72 extends in avertical direction. It should be understood that the torsion bar 72could also extend across the back panel 70 horizontally or at an otherangle. The torsion bar 72 is received in an upper torsion bar receptaclethat is secured to the seat back. A lower torsion bar receptacle 76retains the lower end of the torsion bar 72. The lower torsion barreceptacle 76 is secured to the seat back. The torsion bar is alsoreceived in upper and lower torsion bar retainers 78 and 80 that aresecured to the back panel 70. An opening 82 is provided in the upper andlower torsion bar receptacles 74, 76 through which the torsion bar 72 isreceived. A guide member 86 is secured to the back panel 70, as shown inFIG. 9. The guide member 86 is received in one of the guide receptacles88 that are secured to the seat back 12.

In the event of a collision, the back panel 70 may be released from theseat back and shifted to its actuated position, as shown in phantomlines in FIG. 9. After a collision event, the torsion bar returns to itsnormal position automatically resetting the back panel 70 to its flushposition shown in solid lines in FIG. 9.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A vehicle seat having a back rest for supporting the back of a seatoccupant, the backrest comprising: a seat back support assembly; acushion attached to the seat back support assembly; a back panel that ispositioned at an external surface of the back rest to face in a rearwarddirection and is movable between a flush position in which the backpanel is secured flush to the seat back support assembly and in whichthe back panel forms the external surface and a spaced position in whichthe back panel is retained in a spaced relationship relative to the seatback support assembly; a linkage operatively connected between the backpanel and the seat back support assembly, wherein the linkagefacilitates movement of the back panel between the flush and spacedpositions; a resilient member that biases the linkage to move the backpanel toward the flush position, wherein movement of the back panel fromthe flush position to the spaced position in a collision event isopposed by the biasing force of the resilient member, and wherein theresilient member automatically resets the linkage after the collisionevent by returning the panel back to the flush position.
 2. The vehicleseat of claim 1 wherein a seat accessory is attached to the back panel.3. The vehicle seat of claim 2 wherein the back panel is moved to thespaced position to displace the seat accessory with the back panel.